Steve Gutterman News Today

Im Steve Gutterman the editor of RFERLs RussiaUkraineBelarus Desk Welcome to The Week In Russia in which I dissect the key developments i

After an excruciating six-month wait, new U.S. aid for Ukraine's defense could become law this week. Christopher Miller, Ukraine correspondent for the Financial Times and author of The War Came To Us: Life And Death In Ukraine, joins host Steve Gutterman to discuss how this is affecting the mood in Ukraine and what it could mean for the course of the war.

California cannabis companies Falcon and Maven have teamed up with third-party fulfillment platform, Nabis. Nabis said on Thursday that the announcement "marks a trend among the operators in California's turbulent and growing market to relieve pressure and continue to enhance scalability with tech-forward, data-driven, streamlined distribution services." As the California market continues to evolve, brands like Falcon and Maven are turning to tech-forward solutions like Na...

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warns that Ukraine could lose the war if new U.S. aid is not approved. Is Russia about to make major advances? And why is the Kremlin doubling down on claims of a Ukrainian role in the Crocus City Hall attack despite a lack of evidence? Oleg Ignatov, senior analyst for Russia at the International Crisis Group, joins host Steve Gutterman to discuss.

President Vladimir Putin has few good options after the deadliest terror attack in Russia in 20 years underscores his weaknesses and spoils his choreographed triumph in an election marred by evidence of massive fraud, Mark Galeotti, an author and expert on Russia, tells RFE/RL.

Gunmen killed at least 137 people at a concert hall outside Moscow in the deadliest terror attack in Russia in 20 years. Why did this happen now, what does it mean, and how will the Russian state respond? Author and analyst Mark Galeotti, an honorary professor at the UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies in London, joins host Steve Gutterman to discuss.

Aleksei Navalny, President Vladimir Putin's most formidable opponent, has died in suspicious circumstances at an Arctic prison at the age of 47. His body has not yet been buried but his legacy is beginning to unfold, with his defiant widow taking up the mantle of his anti-Kremlin activism.

Familiar narratives and a ‘largely fictional’ version of history were on display once again in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s interview with Tucker Carlson. There were also some moments that shed additional light on his motives in the invasion of Ukraine and other matters.

An anti-war candidate is barred from the presidential ballot, and two detailed reports shed grim new light on the fate and future of Mariupol -- the devastated port city where Russia is seeking to “erase Ukrainian culture.”

At least for now, Russian President Vladimir Putin is probably not interested in a cease-fire in Ukraine -- but sending signals to the West about such an interest is a different matter.